INJURED l

"Right," Louisa said after an eternity of staying quiet. "I'll tell you now. All of it," she admitted.

Rochester did not say anything to that. He simply stayed put, waiting for her to make a go for it.

Another minute glided past until the girl was ready to speak. She made a show of clearing her throat first, "Ahem... What I want to say is not so simple," she started, gripping the back of her thighs very much, "firstly, Giselle doesn't have a hand in my decision that day. It was all me, and I am sorry for taking you on such a foolish ride. It was all stupid," she stopped and shook her head, "I was so very stupid for putting you through all that."

Rochester suppressed a grunt then or attempted to. She heard him and felt pained by it. Tilting her head to the side, she saw from the dim rays crashing onto the side of his face how it twisted up into a gnarl.